A Fresh New Breeze
by Makou133
Summary: He was no longer concerned with making the windmill turn himself, he now wanted to see the breeze of others as they made it turn. It was a new start on life, one that he would make better than his last. (sprinkling of OCs, mostly for story progression, one a romantic relationship)
1. Chapter 1

It was about an hour after he had been revived, and shortly after healing Tsunade, his next thought had been Makou. His memories from Kabuto told a tortured story of his young, devoted subordinate. "Karin, where is Makou?"

The red head beside him made a face, "Why does that ignorant bit-" He gave her an angry glance. "I mean, um, why do you ask? What does she matter right now?" Orochimaru could tell Karin did not like Makou, and it was easy to guess why. Makou had been intent on killing her obvious crush, Sasuke.

"You know very well why she matters Karin, now find her, and quickly." He said it calmly, but he felt a sense of urgency welling up inside him. Also, guilt. Karin closed her eyes and focused in on the chakra of the mokuton user.

"She's fighting alongside pretty much everyone else, it seems tense over there…Sasuke-kun is fighting too, he's so strong" Karin began to do a weird girly dance, one Orochimaru had no time for. The snake man cast her a stern, steely glance, her words weren't exactly precise and she was wasting valuable moments. Karin hitched her glasses and Suigetsu snickered as she answered again, this time much more specific "She's Southeast of the main battle Sasuke and your Edo Tensei summons are having with the Jyuubi"

"Lead us."

As they ran towards Makou's direction, Orochimaru felt a little relieved, though he wouldn't show it in front of his other followers. She wasn't dead, he thought to himself, and she was fighting, meaning, hopefully she wasn't injured either. As trees passed by, he could see the ravaged, torn battlefields that cut through the forests. He wondered if maybe some of the torn roots were perhaps Makou's.

Kabuto's memories that had been passed to him had shown him how much stronger and adept she had become at using the mokuton. But certainly nowhere near the prowess the First had had. He hoped, she hadn't pushed herself too far and tried to control the great beast that was now terrorizing the Shinobi forces. "Karin, how close are we?" he asked tensely, the urgency inside the serpent only growing stronger.

"Almost there, but her chakra is weak so it's hard to tell how close exactly." Weak, as he had feared, she probably had pushed herself much too far. The huge clearing carved from the battle was not too far ahead of them now, and the forest began to thin. "Below us!" Karin announced as she came to a stop.

Orochimaru grabbed onto a branch and swung into a stop, scanning the forest and faces for the raven haired girl. There she lay, obviously worn out, the Sarutobi girl next to her, looking as equally worn out. Makou had no idea he was revived, he doubted word had made it across the battlefield to her. Around them were other random shinobi from various villages scattered about, tending to other fallen Shinobi, as the ten tails raged in the distance. Makou's eyes weakly fluttered open, he saw the ferocious green eyes start to scan her surroundings as her body became rigid. The snake watched as she said something to the Sarutobi girl and sunk into the tree she had been leaning against. Suigetsu spoke up, "Soooo what exactly are we waiting for?" What indeed? But then he felt it, a sword in his back.

Karin and Suigetsu sprung out of Makou's way as she dove for Orochimaru "Kabuto, nice try, but you won't fool me-!?" but Orochimaru swiftly turned around and caught her in a headlock. He didn't intend to harm, but he had a feeling the shock of his next words would cause her, at the least, some distress. Though from her wild, disheveled look, it would probably be much more intense than than mild distress. Keeping her tightly in his grasp would prevent her from any harm, be it to herself, or another attempt at him.

"No trick my dear, only truth." He said it to her softly, the guilt weighing heavily in his words. He felt her body go weak, as her knees gave out underneath her. He slowly lowered her to her knees, her face in his palms. The once ferocious green had softened almost instantly as she looked up into his own amber eyes.

"I- what? How are you...I'm dead." her face instantly fell and the same maddened look returned to her eyes; he saw the tears drop to the soil below her, each drop caused the grass to grow a little longer and new blades to sprout. "I'm dead and here you are, because how else could you be?" She looked up at him in disbelief. "I'm in hell for the atrocities I've done to get you back, and here you are, but it's my own personal purgatory." The last words stung him. Not from hurt, but from the pain she radiated.

"No you idiot, he's really here, Sasuke-kun brought him back, how about that?" Orochimaru put up a hand to silence Karin as she drew a breath to continue her gloating. "What all I said was that Sasuke-kun did what she couldn't." Karin huffed as she held her hands up innocently.

"I TRIED!" Orochimaru heard Makou scream it, He went to grab her as she flew towards Karin, He caught her as vines lashed out from under her cloak. She looked at the serpent, and once again sank to the ground, through tears she muttered, "I tried, so hard Orochi-sama." Orochimaru could see the emotional instability in her face, he wondered if she really thought it was him. "I was going to kill that bastard Uchiha for taking you away from me. I was going to take his eyes, Itachi's eyes, and bring you back, unseal you from that cursed blade. But I wouldn't just take his eyes, I was going to torture him, make him beg for me to take them and kill him." He held her hands as she grasped his desperately, as she shook with anger and sadness. She had gone insane in his absence, completely abandoning any morals she had once had. She too, like Sasuke, refused to kill unless necessary, but here she was, her voice dripping with vengeance and hatred for the Uchiha, a former teammate and comrade of hers. He realized now why he had felt the guilt earlier, this young girl had really loved him. Of all people. He had manipulated her, used her for her rare bloodline for his own profit, and worst of all, had his cold, reptile like heart ever really meant it to her when he would say he loved her? He thought back to the many revelations he had when sealed in the Totsuka blade. Could he have been capable of love at that time? He had been most concerned about his young prodigy and next body, Sasuke, at that time. If anything, it was probably the closest he came to "loving" anything that was another human. And what about now? With her in front of him, still devoted as ever what did the snake man feel? Makou had been his next priority after healing Tsunade, so that must have meant something right? He hadn't realized it, but his gentle grasp had become a tight embrace, her face buried in his chest. This young girl loved him, and all his flaws, and he knew there were many. Prior to his sealing, at a drop of a hat, had it been necessary, the snake man would have killed her had he needed to, if it meant achieving his goal of making the windmill move. Something told him, she knew that too, but she had dared to love the bloodthirsty serpent none the less.

He remembered his first encounter with the young girl, during the chuunin exams. Kabuto had told him much about her, and about her adoration she had shown towards the sannin in the academy. Alongside Sasuke she had shown much potential. How exciting, he had thought at the time, that such a powerful senju had such an interest in him. He had crafted a special mark just for her, one that would only work because of that infatuation, a complete exploit of her feelings towards him. Juin no Ai. He could see it now in his mind, when he had bit her, Makou's mark had appeared above her heart, the mark itself faintly resembled a heart itself. It was ironic now, maybe his subconscious had been working against him the whole time, but while the mark had been intended to provide him complete control over her, here and now he thought, it was a symbol of something much realer, and much more precious than control or manipulation.

" I love you Makou." He said it quietly, but it was unwavering. He meant it this time, he was sure of it. She held him tighter, a muffled reply as she buried herself further in his embrace.

"I can't believe you came back to me my Lord, I missed you so much...I love you."

"That's so freaking creepy." Suigetsu sniffled a little. As Makou looked up at Orochimaru she seemed much more stable and drew a shaky breath. Her bright green eyes looked a little more like how they used to, full of an inner sunlight. He gave her a gentle smile. He had a lot to make up for, a lot to tell her, and most importantly of all, a new life he would create with her. It was a start.


	2. Chapter 2

Some days had passed since the end of the war, the snake, and his beloved were bound and being led along to a trial by the five villages. Sasuke, and Kabuto as well as former team Hebi were there as well. They had been assured that the ropes were a formality, as were the seals placed on each of them to restrain any jutsu. Orochimaru had no intent of causing trouble or escaping and the paradise of the Infinite Tsukuyomi only cemented in his mind what his goals now were. Tsunade had told him she would fight for him, that she truly believed he had changed, and she would convince the other kages to see that. If Naruto believed Sasuke had changed, she argued, then why can't I believe my teammate did too? The Fifth and Sixth Hokage planned to host all of the now, and hopefully soon, to be reformed rogue nin in Konoha.

A reformed shinobi, he silently laughed at himself. Never in a million years did he see himself here. He felt regret. Something he had been feeling ever since Tsunade had mentioned that Jiraiya could still be alive, if only he changed a little sooner. In the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Jiraiya had been alive, so had his parents, and Makou was there too. He had imagined that Jiraiya would constantly ask for his secret as to how he had managed to catch such a young beauty. Orochimaru would only swirl his sake and give his teammate a sly grin, "I have my ways." As his tongue flicked around his shot glass.

"Orochimaru you snake!" Jiraiya would laugh. But it had been an imaginary paradise. And Jiraiya would not be here in the now. He looked to Makou and Sasuke ahead of him. He enjoyed watching them these past few days, both of them had regained much of their youthful demeanor. When he had been training them, it had been easy to forget they were only teenagers. They were the wind that now moved the windmill. It gave him hope, and eased some of the regret within him. The great summit loomed ahead of them, almost as if the building itself was looking down upon them.

"Don't look so tense Orochi-sama, Rei and Gaara are gonna be on our side no matter what, even if you're probably the worst out of all of us. Actually," Makou's face was drawn into an expression of deep thought, "if it weren't for you none of us would be here probably." Sasuke cast her a glance.

"My dear, thank you so much, that definitely eases any concern I may have." He said it playfully. Sometimes, his beloved was brutally blunt, but he knew she had good intentions. Sasuke exhaled harshly. Kabuto glanced over at the Uchiha, his glasses catching the sunlight.

"What?" Makou looked at him.

"I would have been here either way, my aniki's sacrifice is what caused me to be here, not some old man with a weird interest in teenagers." Sasuke motioned to the others around him. Juugo wasn't quite a teenager anymore, however, the serpent thought to himself. Orochimaru peered down at Sasuke, he was taller than the Uchiha now that he was in his original body. Always so disrespectful. That hadn't changed. But, Orochimaru knew Sasuke wouldn't have ever come as far as he did without his training. In a way, he was proud of Sasuke, proud that he chose to overcome his master. It meant Sasuke could be better than him, and not make the same mistakes the Sannin had made in his youth. He was still as promising as ever.

"Come now Sasuke, surely you can't give all the credit to your dear older brother." Orochimaru casually prodded Sasuke's side. It was fun to watch him get uncomfortable at the unwelcome contact. That is something the snake would never change.

"Tch."

"Heeey." Karin huffed from behind them. "Dont touch my Sasuke-kun like that! I mean, um don't poke people so much younger than you, that's creepy. Like Sasuke-kun said." Karin grew more flustered and hitched up her glasses. "Not that I agree with everything Sasuke-kun says or anything, even though he is always right. Like always." Suigetsu piped up.

"Except for when he, you know, tried to kill you right? Or was he still right Karin?" Karin, hitched her glasses a few more times and mumbled some sort of avoidant reply. Orochimaru snickered, Sasuke had been as cruel as he had been. They approached the entrance of the building where the trial was being held.

The Shinobi escorting them turned around and addressed them. "Oooh, it's time!" Makou said excitedly.

"You are to enter the trial room uniformly and quietly." He said the last part with emphasis. Was it so bad they were all in good spirits? "You will be searched once now for any weapons or summons, and once again before entering the trial room." The Shinobi cast a glance at Orochimaru when he said summons. Usually he did have a snake or two somewhere, just in case. But he was no longer the Great White serpent hidden beneath the body of a human, so at the moment, he was relatively snake free. A few more Shinobi came through the doors of the building, they quickly began patting them down, while another, a Hyuuga, scanned them for anything else they could be hiding. On Kabuto's person they had found several scalpels. Though, Orochimaru knew how adeptly Kabuto could use them, one would not conventionally assume them to be weapons. The Shinobi however was surely informed of the bespectacled ninja's prowess with the small tools and removed them from his person immediately. Not many would been able to catch the look of sheer panic that had momentarily occupied the platinum's face.

"You think you have enough of those?" Suigetsu looked at him with concern, "You need a new hobby, man" Once they had finished that, they were escorted through the elaborate building to a large, imposing set of wooden doors. Once again the pat down was repeated, as was the visual scan.

"Had to get a second look eh?" Makou was looking at the Hyuuga. "Ya like what you see?" She did a little shake to emphasize the last point. Since the curse mark's power was no longer active, Mai Mai, Orochimaru assumed, had fused with Makou's consciousness. It was probably why her emotional state had been so unstable as well. But, he had noticed Makou had become a lot more open, and a lot more straightforward. The snake rather liked it. The Hyuuga blushed and looked away quickly.

"No Madam Senju, just doing my job." The shinobi said it hurriedly while Makou chuckled. Kabuto shifted around uncomfortably as well, some of Orochimaru's flesh, and therefore will was in him. The snake man knew firsthand that it could be difficult to control his own impulsiveness.

Karin coughed in the background, "Not much to look at, if you ask me." Suigetsu's face lit up, and a cheeky grin spread across his face.

"That settles it, once we're done here, we can see who looks better in a bikini!" Suigetsu suggested. For a second, Kabuto's face also lit up, but it was quickly forced down and replaced with a look of disdain. Orochimaru hid his amusement. Karin punched him, when the punch landed Suigetsu seemed shocked.

"Ha, looks like the waterboy can't turn into water when his jutsu's sealed, huh?" Karin looked proud of herself. Suigetsu rubbed his arm defeatedly.

"Enter." The Shinobi who had led them there ordered gruffly. As they entered the room, a great round table was before them, with each kage, as well as their respective advisors beside them. Makou waved excitedly to Rei and Gaara. Rei did a little wave back, trying to do her best to seem professional. Orochimaru cast a glance to Tsunade, who was busily discussing something with Shizune, her eyes met with his for a moment, and she gave him a hopeful smile. Kakashi was also there, at the moment he was the official Hokage in office, but Tsunade wanted to do one last thing before completely retiring from her place as Fifth Hokage. The other kage were also busily chatting in hushed tones and casting glances at the S class shinobi who had just entered the room.

Unexpected to Orochimaru, a few others sat in another stand off to the side of the great table in the center of the room, there, he assumed, sat other important ninja or perhaps those who were willing to give testimonials. Makou's face lit up as she started waving to someone in the other stands. The Sarutobi girl gave a small wave and so did another darker skinned girl next to her. Orochimaru recalled their names being Kai and Yotsuba. Makou had been talking about them for some days since the war. He also remembered the Sarutobi kunoichi had vowed to kill him one day. He hoped that was no longer the case, seeing as his sensei, her grandfather, had a sort of reconciliation during the war. He also happened to be her godfather, and in his new life, it was one of the many promises he had long forgotten about that he planned to remedy. As he scanned the stands, he saw other familiar faces. Naruto was there, trying to get Sasuke's attention, Sakura was trying to calm him down. Sensei's teammates sat quietly there as well. They're still alive? He thought to himself. He was reminded of how old he was, despite the many changes he had made within himself, he knew he needed more time to reach his goals. That was another project he must work on, sooner rather than later.

Kakashi stood up from his seated position at the table, and cleared his throat.

The room became silent.  
"So," his voice was calm and laid back, "I'm sure we all know why we're here, I hope?" A sound of agreement echoed around the room. "Good, that saves me time." His hand twitched around his pocket. Orochimaru could see the corner of a bright orange book poking out of his pocket. Instead he reached for some papers in front of him. The masked man began to read off names.

"Hozuki Suigetsu, Monosashi Makou, Uchiha Sasuke, Yakushi Kabuto, Karin, Juugo, and Orochimaru, you have all expressed your intent to become full shinobi and return to your villages. During the recent war some of you showed your dedication to the Allied Shinobi forces by fighting alongside us, despite having previously been our enemies. The kages of the five villages are here to listen to testimonies of those who fought alongside you. We will then deliberate your worthiness as to whether your crimes can be forgiven." With that, the testimonies began.

Naruto spoke passionately of Sasuke, as did Sakura. Though, honestly, Orochimaru thought to himself, Sasuke's part in the war was all that was needed to prove he could be forgiven and trusted again. Team Hebi was referenced as a collective group, though they had been called "Taka". While no one really could say anything on their part, their crimes were few, all they had really done wrong was follow and serve Orochimaru. Next was Makou, her list of crimes was longer, however, she did have another person other than those he expected testify for her trustworthiness. Orochimaru's former experiment, Tenzo. The snake had not known that after the leaf had been destroyed by Pein, Makou had helped rebuild the village with her mokuton. Tenzo argued that she had the Will of Fire in her heart and did not ever truly want to harm The Leaf. Of course her friends, Kai and Yotsuba had their parts to say, as did Rei. The Kazekage ended up having to calm her down as she had gotten a little caught up in her impassioned speech and nearly broke the table in front of her in two. Makou was followed by Kabuto, who surprisingly, Naruto and Sakura spoke for as well, however most of it hinged on the fact that he healed Sasuke on the battlefield.

Last to be granted amnesty, of course, was himself. That was when Tsunade stood up. Orochimaru wondered what Jiraiya would have said had he been alive, would it have been as fiery and heartfelt as Naruto's words for Sasuke? The Sannin watched as his former teammate inhaled a shaky breath.

"Of all the shinobi who stand before us, Orochimaru is the most corrupt, and most ruthless of them all. His crimes far outnumber all the other's transgressions tenfold. But this is why I believe full heartedly he has truly had a change of heart." She looked across the room, seeing people shift uncomfortably in their seats. " His efforts to save not only me, but the other kage stand in such stark contrast to his previous actions, how can one believe he hasn't changed?" She let the question hang in the air.

" And how do we know he doesn't have ulterior motives?" The Raikage spoke up with biting precision. It was obvious to the serpent, that it had been something he had been waiting to say. Makou's friend Yotsuba pulled a face.

"And what about you Raikage, weren't you a sworn enemy of Konohagakure up until a few months ago? How many atrocities did you personally order to be carried out against the leaf? And yet here we sit, allies united. If we can be allied, why can't a former Sannin also be forgiven?" Tsunade's retort was as equally fierce as the Raikage's words. The Raikage looked taken aback, but he bowed his head down in a gesture of defeat. Orochimaru had to give credit to his teammate, Tsunade could be an intimidating force of willpower. Convincing too. "Does anyone else have an objection?"

Kakashi looked around, he took a deep breath. "If there are no objections, then these rogues before you will be henceforth known as Konohagakure ninja from this day forward." Orochimaru scanned the room, and while many faces did look apprehensive, they did not say a word. Not even against him. "Alright then," he addressed the group, "you are no longer criminals, your crimes have been pardoned. But should any of you defect again, death will be your punishment." He held his hand up and formed a handsign. The seals that had been placed on them burned up in a bright blue flame. The room drew a collective breath, as if waiting for an absolute chaos to break out. But through the silence came Naruto's loud voice "SASSSSUUUUUKKEEE!" He ran to his teammate. Would Jiraiya have done the same? Orochimaru met Tsunade's eyes, a huge smile across her face. She mouthed the words 'drinks on me'. It was then that Makou jumped up, hugged him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Shortly after, the weight of three other girls piled on top of him as they all hugged Makou.

Afterwards, as he stepped outside of the building he took a deep breath. He was no longer a bearer of the label "S class ninja", and his name had been removed from the bingo book. The ropes and seals had been removed from all of them. The first step had been achieved, a gentle breeze blew through his long, raven hair. "So what now Orochi-sama?" Makou shouted over her friend's heads.

"Well, I think a new lab somewhere near Konoha is a good place to start." He gave her an audacious grin. "Of course a lab is hard to run without lab assistants." He looked over to Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo. "Honestly, who else do you three have but me?" Karin and Suigetsu suddenly became very interested in the dirt. Juugo spoke up.

"That would be very gracious of you Orochimaru-sama." The other two looked at him in shock. "He has a point, where else can we go? Unlike Sasuke, we have no teams to return to, and Makou will be with Orochimaru either way. I doubt it will be like last time."

Kabuto seemed a little distant, purposefully avoiding the serpent's stare. "And you, Kabuto? It's hardly much of a lab without you there." Orochimaru could understand his apprehension, but he had hoped Kabuto would join him.

"Lord Orochimaru, I respectfully decline. I have other goals in mind. I need to pay a visit somewhere. Somewhere I haven't been since that fateful night…" His gaze fell upon the village, clouded and far away. Makou looked confused, as did former team Hebi.

Orochimaru simply grinned, "of course Kabuto, I understand completely." He had spent a long time with the medic, and could read him well. "I wish you best of luck in your endeavors, but should you ever need a place to sharpen your precious scalpels, you are more than welcome." Kabuto nodded, held up a handsign, and like that, he was gone. "What of the rest of you?" The snake coolly inquired.

Karin hitched her glasses. "I accept." Suigetsu groaned loudly.

"Will I get a separate room with a really big tank? None of that experimenty stuff?" Suigetsu seemed nervous to be so upfront with the snake man.

"No experiments, well, at least none on you, or any other unwilling subjects." Orochimaru thought about that last part, he had come up with many ideas on how to responsibly carry out his pursuit of knowledge while sealed. He was excited to begin.


	3. Chapter 3

He sat in his expansive and ever growing new lab, and it was (mostly) above ground this time. The snake surveyed his surroundings, there was always something new he wanted to add, or a new device he wanted to create, but today, he sat looking at a tank. He had used one much like it when he had been attempting experiments to recreate Hashirama's mokuton kekkai genkai. However, as Orochimaru looked at it, he had another idea in mind.

Recently, he had been working on his never ending quest for immortality, something he had not quite given up on. While working on new, less inhumane ways of achieving that goal, he had a renewed fascination: genetics. Makou had already piqued his interest with her innovative plant hybrids. As he sat in his lab, he thought about cloning himself. Perhaps, much like Makou's hybrid plants or the mokuton he tried implanting into children before, he would splice some of his genes to create a better version of himself, or like Shin start from scratch.

This time though, there would be no harmful testing on unwilling subjects. What he had in mind was far more ambitious, he would use his own DNA, which to his knowledge was far more unstable than Shin's versatile DNA. Even, he thought, he could potentially raise this clone child with Makou. The pale man looked back to the infinite tsukuyomi, specifically his paradise. In it, he had a family. Not only his parents, but a family with Makou as well. The serpent had long ago realized however, that his age may be an obstacle, hence his pursuit of a younger body. His ideal age would be to revert his years to when he was 25 or so, around the same time his corruption had began, and potentially, redo all that he had missed. Some things could never be changed from that time, but, he could begin anew. Or, give a version of himself a chance to start over; build up a better foundation. Of course all this banked on the idea that it could be done.  
But why not? The pale man thought to himself, they already create clones of chakra, why not flesh and blood? He had a few methods winding around in his brain. Failure, he was sure, would teach him, but then the question of the ethics involved in such an experiment loomed over him.

Makou had plants, they had no sentience, life nor death was something they were aware of, but a being. That could be an issue, especially if it failed… He was suddenly jolted from his thoughts as Makou placed a hand on the snake's shoulder. "Are you alright? You seemed like you were miles away." Her face looked worried. He smiled gently.

"That or he was trying to explode the tank with his stare." Suigetsu was leaning against a doorway, sipping from his water bottle.

"I'm fine Makou, simply letting my mind wander. Is there something happening? I'm guessing there is a purpose to your being here Suigetsu?" He looked over in his former experiment's direction. He could see him shuffle and shift his weight, the serpent was aware of Suigetu's fear of him, something the boy was slowly, but surely overcoming.

"You have a visitor. Some lady with huge knockers, said she owed you something." Orochimaru pursed his lips at the vulgar description of his teammate. Though, admittedly, it was perhaps the first thing most noticed of her. Unless she was drunk. Then, it would be her fists.

"You must mean Tsunade, let her know I'll be there in a moment." What happenstance, the skilled medic and former hokage could give him some advice on his idea, and maybe he could obtain a clearer direction for which to head into. Normally, seeking the assistance of others on such ambitious experiments is something he would never have bothered with. The snake had previously been very hands on when it came to his learning process, much to the fear of others. Their nameless lives had not been of concern to him, and therefore, were disposable. But, as he kept telling himself, this time will be different.

"Makou, I'll be heading out tonight, I'm sure Tsunade has something in store for me, whether I'll want to or not." More than likely drinking, and probably gambling, now that she was no longer the acting Hokage, she had much more free time on her hands, as well as, what the pale skinned man thought to himself, a familiar drinking buddy.

He remembered the three of them, right around when Jiraiya had become old enough to drink. The snake and toad's birthdays weren't too far apart, and Tsunade had grown restless waiting for them. That first night they had went out drinking as a team, much to Sarutobi-sensei's chagrin, had been eventful to say the least. His teammates liked to go hard, he preferred to pace himself, and enjoy the taste of the sake. Tsunade was having none of that, and things had gotten, somewhat out of hand.

"Ah, Tsunade, I see you've gotten a head start?" His amber eyes surveyed her somewhat hunched over and flushed body. Beside her stood her ever faithful right hand, Shizune, and in her arms a small pig. "I'll keep good eye over her Shizune." he waved his hand dismissively. She bowed and scurried off, yet another who was nervous in the serpent's presence. A reminder of how much he had impacted those around him.

"I don't need to be babysat old man, I can handle myself just fine thank you very, very much." He cast a disdainful glance at her, a snarky tone in her voice, and a sly grin on the blonde's face. She must have thought it hilarious to call him old.

"If I'm old Princess, pray tell, then what are you? I seem to recall you being several months my senior." Tsunade snorted.

Both of the Sannin were a few drinks in, as well as several stories past just reminiscing. I have gotten old haven't I, he admitted inwardly. The raven swirled his sake as Tsunade downed yet another. He had been waiting for her to get comfortably buzzed before inquiring about his project; hopefully she would be more receptive if she was in good spirits. "Are you going to drink it, or try and make a whirlpool?" He cocked a slender eyebrow as sake sloshed out of the bottle she was holding.

"Unlike you Tsunade-hime, I prefer to keep sake within its container." He pointed a pale finger to her now damp yukata. She looked down at herself then back at him, a look of annoyance across her face. He gave a small chuckle before finishing his drink, " I had a question for you princess." His tone had changed from mocking to serious; Tsunade sat up a little straighter.

"Well I'm not getting any younger, so out with it." She seemed fairly relaxed, to those who may just be passing by, but his ophidian eyes were far more discerning than the average onlooker. His tone had worried her, however, he had to press on despite her caution.

"I had an idea for an experiment," her honey brown eyes widened, she nodded stiffly, reluctantly urging him to continue, " not like anything I've done before. I want to make a clone." Her rigid shoulders dropped in relief, and she let out a sigh.

"Oh, you're just drunk, we make clones all the time." She brandished her hand to emphasize her words, almost as if to wave away the notion "Like I've never done before," she mimicked him "tch." The snake bit his lip in annoyance. What did she take him for? A fool? Also he sounded nothing like that.

" No," he said it slowly, " One of flesh and blood." The blonde had been about to take another shot before stopping mid swig, a look of fascination across her face. Tsunade was a gifted medic nin, she was familiar with the ins and outs of the human body, as well as its building blocks. His amber eyes didn't blink as she soaked in the weight of his words. "Could it be done? From one strand of DNA to a whole being?"

She inhaled sharply, then let out a long breath, her golden eyebrows furrowed in deep thought as she set the bottle down. "It wouldn't be easy, that's for sure." He stifled the giddy look that almost escaped his stoic demeanor. It wasn't an outright no. " You've certainly done worse, and have been successful…" her words trailed off, before she shook her head. "Why are you even asking me? Actually, why ask in the first place? What are you hoping to achieve?" Her eyes pierced him, searching for an answer. He had one, of course. He knew his initial goal was immortality, but he also wanted to raise a family, and there was so much more potential to this yet unborn child.

"Well, as you said, we aren't getting any younger. And I still hope to one day to reach my goal of immortality, however I now see a new way of obtaining that goal, I also wish to start a family with Makou." Tsunade stared even harder, biting her lower lip in concentration, as if searching for something else. The snake could tell she wasn't wholly satisfied with his answer. "Was there something else you wanted to hear?" She turned her head away in frustration.

"Your answer seems well-intentioned enough, but what about mistakes? Or perhaps you get something you weren't expecting? You can't just trash the failures and start over." She was right, he couldn't, but that's why he was asking her, to help eliminate some of those possibilities. "And if you want a family, just do it, you know, the normal way. I can tell you first hand how easy it is to deliver a baby. Though, to be the one delivering…" She pulled a face and tugged at her yukata collar, "Not always easy, but certainly amazing."

"While certainly birth is indeed "easier" and "normal" as you say, that is not my goal princess. I want immortality, that has never changed. And a clone of me will allow me to achieve that, in a way. Or, at least allow me to figure out new ways of reaching eternity. So, don't mistake this, I am not asking permission, I am asking for help, and your input, because I value it. Now tell me princess, will you aid me or no?"


End file.
